


Over the Seas and Far Away

by misura



Category: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Genre: Gen, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-22 04:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/605756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mina, after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Over the Seas and Far Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hotelmontana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotelmontana/gifts).



> a treat

They lost Dr Jekyll to London ( _'home is where the heart is,'_ he'd said, _'and mine is here_ , which was all very pretty and rather irresponsible in a typical male fashion). He took Dorian's portrait with him, with some vague notion of perhaps seeing it installed in some museum.

Mina imagined they might rename it 'The Perfidy of Man', or perhaps, simply, 'Seduction'. He'd been quite good at both and, perhaps, at some point, fallen victim to the second. (He was dead now; Mina could afford him that much generosity at least, even if she'd have preferred to see his image burnt, gone forever except from her memories.)

They lost Skinner to Hamburg. Tensions between the countries of Europe were still present, if laid to rest somewhat now that the advanced weaponry that might have given one country the decisive edge was gone. Still. _'The way I see it, with my unique talent, I can either be a thief or a spy. And they don't hang you for being the second. Well, not if you're spying_ for _them, anyway.'_

He'd had grabby hands and loose morals and a somewhat lower class approach to life she found somewhat refreshing, if taken in small doses. She wished him well, and vowed to see him avenged, should Britain disavow him. (The Germans, she supposed, would have the right to take his life.)

And then only the three of them remained.

 _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ , indeed.

 

"I believe the young American imagines he has lost his heart to you," Nemo said. He did not sound approving or disapproving; he was merely stating a fact.

"Young is the right word for him." _Sweet_ , she'd called him once. The adjective still fitted. She supposed it should gladden her; of all of them, he had taken a particular liking to the late Mr Quatermain.

And now Quatermain had passed away, leaving Tom Sawyer his gun and his dubious pearls of wisdom, if not, happily, his particular attitude towards the female gender.

Nemo inclined his head and said nothing.

"Doubtless his government will reassign him elsewhere shortly." Surely they would not be content to simply let _Special Agent_ Sawyer waste his time mooning about purposeless for too long.

"It is to be hoped," Nemo said.

"You _are_ right, you know. It is nothing but his imagination." He'd surprised her only once, in the library. Dorian's library. Watching her sink her teeth into the man who would hold her hostage with nary a wince.

She might admire his courage if only she could believe it wasn't simple youthful foolishness. Blindness, to her true nature.

"It will be good then, when he leaves," Nemo said. "To heal. To forget."

"To learn. To grow up," she said.

"One can only hope."

 

The _Nautilus_ called no port her home. It made it difficult for communications to reach her, sometimes. She wasn't entirely clear on how M had reached the good Captain at the beginning of this, and Nemo had not yet volunteered the information. It seemed somewhat unlikely the American Secret Service would be able to avail itself of the same channels, though.

And so, well, if the new orders would not come to America's agent abroad, America's agent abroad would have to come to his new orders.

"Seasick?"

She considered herself lucky Nemo had been the one to find her, rather than Mr Sawyer. At this point, she rather doubted seeing her hurl the contents of her stomach over the railing would have diminished his feelings in any way, and it was, she admitted, somewhat embarrassing.

"I believe that crossing oceans does not agree with me." She'd traveled over sea before, and she'd been fine during the trip to Siberia. Burning with rage at Dorian's betrayal, but otherwise fine. Perhaps her anger had kept the sickness at bay, that time.

Nemo stared out over the waters surrounding them. "I could not imagine living on dry land again."

"It's very ... restrictive," Mina said. She didn't add: _'especially for a woman'_. She'd found the restrictions rather ... comfortable, at one point, she recalled.

Easier, to hide one's self, when society bound one's behavior to so very many rules, expectations, demands.

Easier still, to reveal it in the service of something greater, and be tempted into believing one would never need to hide again, never go back to living like a shadow, a leashed creature.

She wondered how Dr Jekyll was finding his city of London, if he was happy there. They'd had some things in common, she supposed, although her Mr Hyde was far less inhuman, far less simplistic. On some days, she wasn't even sure herself which one was truly her, and which was the other.

The timid, victimized wife of the late Jonathan Harker.

The intelligent, strong-willed chemist who still used his last name and willingly unleashed her unique gifts in the service of her country.

"One such as you should never be restrained," Nemo said. 

The weight of his hand on hers surprised her; it was solid and warm and human.

It barely took five days spent in Boston's harbor for two men wearing black suits and black umbrellas to show up and collect Tom Sawyer, Special Agent in no Majesty's service.

Mina watched him go, looking back every other step, and found it in herself to wish him well. He would get his heart broken at some point - more than once, possibly. Probably, being who he was.

But not by her. That would have to be enough.

 

"Piracy," Nemo said.

"Piracy?" The word brought visions of adventure to mind, of ages long gone by. Of stories, written down on the yellowed pages of books. (Dorian's library had been so very lovely. She might have loved him, briefly, for that alone.)

Nemo looked faintly pained. "The power for our engines is mostly supplied by the solar panels. However, to keep a ship this size afloat, more than power is required."

"Food," she said. "Money." Nemo's men were loyal, but they would need to eat. Their families would need to eat. "Weapons." To defend themselves.

"And other things. As the Empire no longer requires our services, we need to turn elsewhere for that which we need."

"Do you take British vessels?" She asked mostly out of curiosity. She's been born a citizen of the Empire - by now, that was about the extent of her loyalty to it.

Nemo shrugged.

It dawned on her, possibly belatedly, that a question was being asked of her. "It's fine by me. I don't have a problem with taking what I need to stay alive. As you might imagine."

"Yes." Nemo nodded once. "I am glad you will be staying with us, then."

"Be honest," she said, smiling, "where else would I go?" She'd meant it to sound light, teasing. To touch his hand as he'd touched hers, a few weeks ago.

Nemo turned her hand, palm upwards. Brought it to his lips and kissed it as a lover might. "Wherever it pleased you to go," he said. "Have no doubt of this. You honor me - us, by remaining."

He would have dropped her hand then, backed away. _'You honor me.'_ What a terrible thing to be told with such sincerity.

"You honor me by allowing me to stay."

The gesture was different, from one such as she. She sensed the warm blood, so close to the skin of his wrist, imagined biting down and feeling it run over her tongue.

She kissed his palm, softly, and let go, as he had intended to do.


End file.
